Katherine Sharpe - Editor
Published author, exceptional developmental and copy editor. Encouraging and honest. MFA *and* NYC.
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Overview
As an editor, I pride myself on striking a balance between being supportive, and telling writers what they need to hear—couched in the way that will be most helpful.
I've been steeping in the written word since I was a kid, and I have worked with words professionally for 15 years, as a writing instructor, a professional journalist, and a freelance writer and Big 5-published author myself. In the 2000s, I worked at two New York City-based magazines. In 2012, I published my own nonfiction book with Harper Perennial. In recent years, I have focused more intensively on teaching and freelance editing, as well as continuing on my own writing path. In 2018, I earned my MFA in fiction at The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, and I currently live with my family in Baltimore.
As a copy editor, I'm efficient, astute, and thorough. I work with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, and Merriam-Webster's dictionary.
As a developmental editor and in manuscript evaluations, I pride myself on flexibility and insight. I make an effort to tailor my commentary according to what each author feels would be most helpful. While never neglecting the details, I also have a special knack for the big picture, and find special joy in helping authors locate the heart of their story, home in on what they're really trying to say. Literary fiction and memoir are my wheelhouse, and I'm very comfortable with self help books, psychology, and narrative nonfiction as well. I'm always honest, but I can be as blunt or as gentle as you wish.
Here are some nice things that clients have said about working with me:
• "I’m v excited for you to read it once more if you can find the will, Katherine, as I can’t tell you how much it improved once I dealt with your queries. There’s a lot more character development and balance to the characters. And putting my narrator on the bad pill just erased the slowing in the middle. Thanks again!"
• "Your feedback is thoughtful and intelligent . . . you just blew me away sometimes."
• "Thank you for the copy edit. Not only have you paid very close attention to punctuation, etc., but you have picked up on every sentence I had the minutest doubt about myself!"
• "Will send you a proper note when I get back home to express my gratitude and joy in working with you. I'm very happy with the way the book turned out."
• "From your comments, it was evident that you were not only making valuable suggestions, but that you had an intuitive understanding of this story and what I am attempting to convey. You were sensitive and cognizant of my style and voice."
I am happy to forward a rate sheet, discuss your project and, if you are interested, provide an estimate. Thanks for looking.
I've been steeping in the written word since I was a kid, and I have worked with words professionally for 15 years, as a writing instructor, a professional journalist, and a freelance writer and Big 5-published author myself. In the 2000s, I worked at two New York City-based magazines. In 2012, I published my own nonfiction book with Harper Perennial. In recent years, I have focused more intensively on teaching and freelance editing, as well as continuing on my own writing path. In 2018, I earned my MFA in fiction at The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, and I currently live with my family in Baltimore.
As a copy editor, I'm efficient, astute, and thorough. I work with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, and Merriam-Webster's dictionary.
As a developmental editor and in manuscript evaluations, I pride myself on flexibility and insight. I make an effort to tailor my commentary according to what each author feels would be most helpful. While never neglecting the details, I also have a special knack for the big picture, and find special joy in helping authors locate the heart of their story, home in on what they're really trying to say. Literary fiction and memoir are my wheelhouse, and I'm very comfortable with self help books, psychology, and narrative nonfiction as well. I'm always honest, but I can be as blunt or as gentle as you wish.
Here are some nice things that clients have said about working with me:
• "I’m v excited for you to read it once more if you can find the will, Katherine, as I can’t tell you how much it improved once I dealt with your queries. There’s a lot more character development and balance to the characters. And putting my narrator on the bad pill just erased the slowing in the middle. Thanks again!"
• "Your feedback is thoughtful and intelligent . . . you just blew me away sometimes."
• "Thank you for the copy edit. Not only have you paid very close attention to punctuation, etc., but you have picked up on every sentence I had the minutest doubt about myself!"
• "Will send you a proper note when I get back home to express my gratitude and joy in working with you. I'm very happy with the way the book turned out."
• "From your comments, it was evident that you were not only making valuable suggestions, but that you had an intuitive understanding of this story and what I am attempting to convey. You were sensitive and cognizant of my style and voice."
I am happy to forward a rate sheet, discuss your project and, if you are interested, provide an estimate. Thanks for looking.
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Self-help & Self-improvement
Fiction
Literary Fiction
Short Story
Certifications
- MFA in fiction, Johns Hopkins University, 2018
- MA in English literature, Cornell University, 2005
Awards
- Honorable Mention, Society of American Publishers PROSE Awards
Work experience
Assistant Editor
The Hopkins Review, Johns Hopkins University
August, 2016
–
Present
(over 4 years)
As the managing editor of The Hopkins Review, Johns Hopkins’s nationally distributed literary journal, I maintain cordial relationships with our authors, handle submissions (i.e. I manage our Submittable account, and reject or pass up the line work that comes to us there). I also maintain a spreadsheet to keep each issue on track, collect payroll information, serve as a liaison with JHU Press and web services, and manage a team of copy editors applying Chicago Style (CMoS 17) to every piece we publish. Finally, I provide a complete top-level proofread/second copy edit to every issue.
Developmental Editor
She Writes Press
September, 2015
–
Present
(over 5 years)
As a developmental editor for this well regarded hybrid press, I work on a variety of book projects, including novels, short stories, memoirs, and self-help titles. Sometimes I coach writers over the phone, but more often I provide deep and thorough written edits, along with an edit letter. A developmental edit answers any specific questions the writers may have about how to move their work forward, as well as offering my own insights about what it will take to bring a manuscript up to publishable quality.
Copy Editor
She Writes Press
September, 2015
–
Present
(over 5 years)
I also work for She Writes as a copy editor, applying Chicago Style (CMoS 17) and performing line edits, as needed, to a variety of book-length manuscripts.
Online Editor
ReadyMade Magazine
September, 2009
–
November, 2010
(about 1 year)
I managed editorial operations of the website of this New York-based bimonthly lifestyle and shelter magazine, and wrote articles for print edition. I also hired and supervised interns and freelance writers, and oversaw a major website redesign.
Freelance writer
Self-employed
January, 2007
–
Present
(about 14 years)
Over the years, I've written and published my own work—reviews, personal essays, and reported features—in a variety of outlets, including The New York Times, n+1, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Prevention, Nature, GOOD Magazine, Archaeology Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, Washington Post Magazine, The Rumpus, The Hopkins Review, and Scientific American MIND. As a nonfiction writer, I have special expertise in relating science and medical topics for a general audience, as well as in reviews and cultural criticism.
As a writer-for-hire, I've also written non-bylined features and materials for clients including PCORI (the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute), Apple Computer, and NYU Langone Medical Center.
Finally, I am the author of a nonfiction book published by a major press: Coming of Age on Zoloft (Harper Perennial), 2012. This book won honorable mention in the Psychology category in the Society of American Publishers' PROSE awards.
My first published short story appears in the Winter 2019/2020 issue of Ploughshares.
Associate Editor
Seed Media Group
August, 2006
–
September, 2008
(about 2 years)
At SEED, an award-winning magazine of science and culture, I was the lead editor and community manager of, a network of 70+ blogs that together received over 5.5 million pageviews a month. I also contributed to the print edition of Seed, hired and supervised interns, and participated closely in a major redesign of the ScienceBlogs homepage and its underlying website functionality.
Portfolio (15 selected works)
Malcharist
Scott, Paul John
There are times in life that shake us to our very foundations. We wish for things to get better, fast. But the truth is that moments of “falling apart” are also our most powerful catalysts for growth and change. In Falling Together, Donna Cardillo, a registered nurse, Dr. Oz blogger, and beloved public speaker, reflects on the overwhelming challenges that fall into every life, and the renewal ... read more
Motherlines: Love, Longing, and Liberation
Patricia Reis
When she was twenty, Patricia Reis’s mother asked, “What about your spiritual life?” Years later, this question drives her midlife quest to reconcile the desires of her body with the mandates of her spirit.Motherlines is a candid and compelling story of sex with men and with women, of celibacy, illegal abortions, making vows and breaking them, dreams, body wisdom, creative ambition, and inspir... read more
Odile Atthalin was a young woman from a prominent, bourgeois family in Paris when she decided to leave home in search of meaning. All she knew was that she wanted to go East; but once she had separated from France and committed to creating a new life for herself, opportunities fell into place.After years of travels around the world, including a life-changing four years in an Indian ashram, Att... read more
In the spring of 2010, Tabita Green's daughter, Rebecka--then in seventh grade--started to feel depressed and lost a lot of weight. Almost immediately, Rebecka's well-meaning health care providers recommended that she take an antidepressant (Zoloft) to "kick-start" the treatment process.What followed was a year-long nightmare of the most unimaginable sort as Tabita and her husband, Todd, watch... read more
The Legacy of Us: A Novel
Kristin Contino
Taking readers from 1905 Italy to present-day Philadelphia, The Legacy of Us uncovers how the lives of three generations of women are changed by love, loss and one little necklace. Liz Moretti thought she knew almost everything about her grandmother, Ella, from her love of "The Golden Girls" to the perfect pound cake recipe. But when Ella passes away and Liz finds a cameo locket with a marriag... read more
The Great Bravura: A Novel
Jill Dearman
Since adolescence, Bravura and salt of the earth Susie have been partners in magic and best friends, as well as occasional bedmates. But when the two performers hire the mysterious and alluring Lena as a third banana to jazz up the act, Bravura falls madly in love. Lena believes in magic—and not just the rabbit-out-of-a hat kind. She encourages Bravura to believe in her own supernatural powers... read more
Henrietta Von Harmon works as a 26 girl at a corner bar on Chicago’s northwest side. It’s 1935, but things still aren’t looking up since the big crash and her father’s subsequent suicide, leaving Henrietta to care for her antagonistic mother and younger siblings. Henrietta is eventually persuaded to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall—and just when she’s beginning to enjoy hersel... read more
When Push Comes to Shove: How to Help When Someone You Love is Being Abused
Lizbeth A. Meredith
Chances are, you've had a friend or a coworker or even a family member impacted by an abusive relationship. But do you know what to say, or maybe even more importantly, what not to say to him or her?Now you will. When Push Comes to Shove gives you an insider's tips to supporting your loved one while staying safe and sane.
Combining the thoughtful and expert narrative of a veteran mom of four children with the voices of hundreds of moms she surveyed, The Self-Care Solution offers insightful answers to poignant questions about how mothers take care of themselves, their relationships, and their jobs while raising their children—and how they don’t. Here, mothers reveal their struggles with self-care, and the conseq... read more
Painting Life: My Creative Journey Through Trauma
Carol K. Walsh
When Carol Walsh pulled her fiancé from the bottom of a diving well—dead from a massive heart attack—her life was turned upside down. Even though she was a psychotherapist working with clients suffering from trauma, this personal shock felt unbearable. Nonetheless, she had to heal herself while supporting clients—and, as a single mother, her two children. Using the creative interests she’d dev... read more
Big Wild Love: The Unstoppable Power of Letting Go
Jill Sherer Murray
Jill Sherer Murray lived in a dead-end relationship into her forties before she finally let it go. She was like millions of women who struggle with whether to stay in a loveless marriage, a bad relationship, or give up on dating altogether, believing love isn’t in the cards. You may be struggling with a similar decision yourself. Perhaps you’re terrified of being single, and yet you don’t trul... read more
The Liability of Love: A Novel
Schoenberger, Susan
Prozac Monologues: A Voice from the Edge
Goodfellow, Willa
Life and Other Shortcomings: Stories
Adjmi, Corie
Katherine has 2 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Katherine Sharpe is a wonderfully thorough and intelligent editor who gave my project a very wise reading. She provided a clear-eyed view of what was good and what was not, with tips about how to improve at both the line level and with the project's underlying themes and concepts. She knows the literary world and gave very good guidance about how other author's work could be instructive. And sh...
Read more
Tom Rutledge, October 2020
Reply from Katherine Sharpe
I am a novice and have a complex manuscript. Katherine has been an immense help in prioritizing next steps.
Stephen Lloyd, February 2020
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